


You Can't Always Get What You Want, But if You Try Sometimes You'll Get What You Need

by midnight_madness0615



Category: Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Baker Kun, Detective Doyoung, Detective Jungwoo, M/M, Mentions of sex slavery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Rape/Non-con, Police Chief Taeil, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape/Non-con Elements, basically the sister act au no one asked for but I decided would be fun, sugar baby taeyong, sugar baby ten, sugar daddy johnny, sugar daddy shownu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-09-23 04:02:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20333728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_madness0615/pseuds/midnight_madness0615
Summary: Ten is a sugar baby who witnesses his sugar daddy, Shownu, murder someone. In order to hide from Shownu and stay alive in time for Detective Kim Doyoung to put Shownu on trial, Ten goes into witness protection. They place him in a small town on the coast where he is forced to work a normal job and live a normal life. Can Ten manage to live this new life and stay under Shownu's radar? More importantly, can he do this without falling for the cute owner of the bakeshop he works at? All Ten knows is that he's going to have to figure something out because if he doesn't, he'll end up dead.





	1. Don’t You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the second work I'm going to be posting. I don't know when updates will happen but I will try to update somewhat regularly. I hope you enjoy!

Ping!

The incoming text message rang from a king-sized bed in a bedroom in an expensive Gangnam high rise apartment as an iPhone screen lit up. “I’ll be back tonight, Tennie,” it read.

The owner of the phone, a young man living far above his supposed “means,” waltzed out of his en suite bathroom with a silk robe on and wet jet black hair. He was humming the tune to some American pop song whose name escaped him at the moment. The patting sound of his feet on the cherry red oak floor followed him as he approached the bed to look at the phone. 

His face lit up with a grin as he read the text message. 

His daddy was going to be back tonight! 

This was a cause for a celebration, Ten thought. He’d been without sex for two weeks, which meant he hadn’t had an orgasm in two weeks, which meant he was desperate to have sex with the only man who was allowed to give him one. His daddy. Rules were set up early on about their sex life, and orgasm control was one of his daddy's biggest concern. Ten simultaneously loved and hated it. 

He sat on the end of the plush bed, the comforter bunching around him, and stared thoughtfully out the floor to ceiling windows that lined the far left wall. What should he do to celebrate his daddy’s return? 

He ran through all of the things his daddy loved on him: his multiple earrings, body jewelry, collars, cat ears...Ten gasped as an idea popped into his head. He rushed out of the room into the one next to it that served as his closet. He pushed the door open and strode to the far right side of the room with a purpose. He perused all of his fetish gear and accessories as a much more mischievous smile formed on his face. He knew exactly how to surprise his daddy.

The text was sent during late morning, which gave Ten plenty of time to prepare. He had an entire routine to go through to ensure he was ready to have sex with his daddy. First, he made sure he was completely clean, inside and out. He shaved everywhere. He moisturized everywhere. He then put on his daddy’s favorite scented lotion. 

Once his preparations for his body were done, he moved to his face. He never had much to do to his face because he was a man who was very concerned with his looks. His eyebrows always had to be perfect. His skin had to be clear of any blemish. His face had to be free of any hair and razor burn or cuts. This meant he took time, lots and lots of time, to make sure his face remained stunning.

He plucked his eyebrows, washed his face with a cleanser, exfoliated, applied a moisturizer, then a face mask. When this was done and his face was glowing, he applied a toner, then a primer, and then went to work with his makeup. His makeup was actually pretty simple compared to absolutely everything else he did so far. 

He applied some BB cream, eyeliner, mascara, highlighter, and a lip gloss. The makeup process was simple, but the effects were extreme. The eyeliner and mascara made his eyes bigger and made them look sharper. His daddy also liked how it would all run when he cried, but that was just a bonus. The highlighter accentuated his cheekbones and temple and made his face shine in a good way. The BB cream helped control any oil and smoothed out his features. The lip gloss just looked good.

He admired himself in the mirror when he was done with a small smile and a sigh. He was hot if he did say so himself. He gently pat his lips to ensure there wasn’t any gloss on the skin around them and then went to work on his hair.

He didn’t plan to do much to his hair. His daddy preferred it to be soft and easy to pull on, which meant that most of his hairstyles didn’t appear unless he was going out to dinner or a fancy event. No, when it was just him and his daddy, his hair stayed very natural. The only thing he did was apply some oil to the ends to keep it healthy and comb it so that his hair rested just above his eyes. 

He personally loved his hair. When he had longer bangs as he did then, it was wispy and easy to play with. He also found that covering his forehead gave him a more innocent look. He liked to play heavily on his innocent appearance because it made people underestimate him. for Ten, it gave him power where he typically would have none. Men were pretty easy to manipulate when they thought you were as harmless as a butterfly. 

When he deemed his hair perfect, Ten slipped in multiple earrings in both ears. He had a lot of piercings if he were to be honest. He loved the look of it. He had an industrial, three lobes, and one antihelix in both ears. He slipped a silver stud in both industrials and antihelixes. Then he put on three small silver hoop earrings in both ears. 

He knew this was going to go perfectly with the body jewelry he was going to wear; the two silver bars through his nipples, the thin silver chains that cascaded down his body, and the thin silver anklets. 

He went back to his closet and put on a thin black leather collar, a black button-down with a black leather jacket, black skinnier than hell skinny jeans, and black boots. 

He looked at himself in the full-length mirror he had mounted into the wall and smirked at himself. All of his best features were accentuated by his outfit choice, his skinny legs, his small but firm ass, his tiny waist, and most importantly, his face. His daddy was going to absolutely ruin him tonight. 

By the time he was ready, it was already almost six. He contemplated his options as he looked in the mirror. He could stay here and show up later around eight, or he could go now and set up the apartment for his daddy with him as the main feature. 

The latter sounded like a better idea. Ten was a dramatic bitch after all.

He grabbed his things and called a cab to his daddy’s apartment. It wasn’t very far, it just happened to be on the opposite side of the neighborhood, which for Ten was too far to walk. 

Ten was a lucky man to have a daddy that was so wealthy and generous. When he first set up this arrangement, he expected to only be with the man for six months at the most. This was more so because Ten didn’t want to get too attached. Attachments were dangerous and led to emotions that were even more dangerous for people like him, people who had to be fluid and able to drop things as quickly as they came to him. 

His intention was to run the man dry and end it quickly, but he was so drawn in, and the man was just such an amazing person that Ten found himself not wanting to move on. Instead, he could almost say he was in love. Almost. He had never had a daddy who took care of him so thoroughly and so carefully. Outside of the bedroom, he cared for Ten and made sure to never hurt him. He was sensitive and in tune with his emotional side. Communication and trust were the most important part of their relationship and Ten adored that. 

In all of his years as a sugar baby, Ten has never experienced a relationship like this, and he didn’t want it to end. If anyone were to ask him, he could honestly say that he could see himself with this man for the rest of his life, one Son Hyunwoo, or as he liked to be called, Shownu. 

Just the thought of the man made Ten smile dreamily. He could just see Shownu in his head, with his full lips upturned in that dorky smile of his, his large arms wrapped around Ten so that he was completely consumed by him. He would probably be in one of those stuffy suits of his that he had to wear at the security company that he owned. 

The time flew by quickly and before he knew it, he was getting out of the taxi and approaching the building. He smiled at the doorman who bowed and greeted him by name. He may not live there, but the staff all knew him. He leisurely strolled to the elevator and pressed the button for the floor Shownu lived on and waited patiently for it to arrive. He was so excited he was practically vibrating, but he tried hard not to show it. 

He left the elevator and walked to Shownu’s apartment, which he had the key to and unlocked it, letting himself inside. He was going to turn towards the bedroom when he heard shuffling and hushed conversing coming from Shownu’s office. That was strange. Was Shownu already home? 

He crept to the room as quiet as a mouse and approached the door. It wasn’t closed all the way and could see a little bit inside. Shownu was standing in front of a man who was tied to the chair. His bodyguards Wonho and Jooheon, as well as his partner Changkyun and their assistants, Kihyun and Minhyuk, and their accountant and financial director, Hyungwon, were all there. It seemed as though Shownu and Changkyun were interrogating the man in the chair, someone Ten had never seen before. 

He looked around some more and saw the gun Shownu was holding in his hand, and Ten released an inaudible gasp. Why did Shownu have a gun? When did he even get a gun and from where?

Ten gulped, his heartbeat skyrocketing, as he stared at the gun. He followed its movements as Shownu raised it up to rest against the poor man’s head and the man started crying. He begged for Shownu and Changkyun’s forgiveness and mercy, but they didn’t listen. The gun went off. Ten watched as the man slumped in the chair, blood escaping from the small bullet hole in his forehead. 

Ten couldn’t help himself as he jumped and gasped loudly, knocking the door open a little, and all six heads turned to him and he froze. Shownu’s face went from surprise to confusion, and then to anger Ten had never seen before. His breath caught in his throat. Was he going to kill him too? 

“Ten. What are you doing here?” Shownu’s voice was so soft, but there was a dangerous edge to it. Ten had never been more terrified.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Instead, he looked from Shownu’s face to the gun, to Jooheon and Wonho who were inching closer to him, and he ran.


	2. Run Devil Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This one's a little longer and we get to learn a little more about Ten. Enjoy!

Ten ran. He ran, and ran, and ran. He ran until his legs burned and his chest ached and his throat dried out. He ran down all of the flights of stairs and out the building and down the street. He ran until high rises turned into shops and restaurants. He ran until sweat melted his makeup, black mascara and eyeliner cascading down his cheeks and blackening his eyes. He ran until he couldn’t hear the footsteps of Wohno, Jooheon, and Shownu behind him. He ran until he collapsed in a darkened alleyway behind a dumpster, trying to catch his breath.

He could still feel the adrenaline and anxiety pumping through his veins, making his heart beat like speakers in a nightclub. His chest ached and burned from just trying to breathe and his throat felt as dry as a desert. His calves and feet were beyond painful at this point. It was like he could barely feel them anymore. All he could feel was hot pinpricks of a thousand needles stabbing into them as they pulsed and throbbed. 

He didn’t care about that, though. All he cared about was being safe. He needed to be somewhere safe. He needed to be somewhere where he wouldn’t be found or Shownu wouldn’t dare step foot into. He silently listened to the people out on the street, hoping that Wonho and Jooheon wouldn’t find him. 

He didn’t know how long he sat behind the dumpster, it could have been minutes or hours. He just knew that in that small instant, he was as safe as he could be. The adrenaline was gone and all that was left was pure exhaustion. His body felt like lead and his head swam, a fuzzy cotton-like feeling taking over. He tried to sit up, and dizziness took over, making him fall back to the ground. All right, maybe he just needed to sit for a few minutes and he would be ok.

After a while, he pulled his phone out. He had arrived at Shownu’s around 6:15 pm. It was now past 8:30. He had most likely been behind that dumpster for the worse part of an hour. 

Now that simply keeping his eyes open didn’t make his head spin, his mind raced. He needed to find a place where he could go where he would be safe. His apartment was off-limits. His friend’s house was off-limits. All of his typical stomping grounds were off-limits. So, where was he to go? He needed help. But who would help someone like him? 

He scrolled through the contacts on his phone until he landed on one contact in particular. He had it labeled, “Do not answer.” He hesitated over the call button for a just a moment before pressing it. He hoped beyond hope that the person would answer. 

The dial tone went on longer and longer, and his anxiety grew until, finally, he heard a click. “Detective Kim Doyoung speaking.” 

Ten couldn’t help but let out a relieved laugh. “Hey Doyoung. Guess what? I really need your help.”

“Ten? Is that you? What happened?” 

Ten hiccupped as he felt his throat tighten and his eyes water, the reality of the situation starting to settle in. “You were right. You were right all along and I really need your help.” 

The detective listened as Ten began to cry. “Can you come to the station? We can talk there.” 

Ten sniffled and nodded, then realized that Doyoung couldn’t see him. “Yeah I can come to the station.” 

“Ok. I’m going to hang up and wait for you to come, ok?”

“No!” Ten shouted into the phone and winced at his own reaction. “No, can you please stay on the line with me?”

There was silence as the detective contemplated it before agreeing. “Yes, I can stay on the line.” 

“Thank you,” he sobbed.

There was more silence as Ten built up the courage to move from his hiding spot behind the dumpster out to the street to hail a taxi. His body groaned and his joints cracked as he got up from the crouching position he had been in for so long. He crept to the street and ran to the first taxi he saw, getting in and telling the driver the address of the police station.

The driver gave him a strange look but Ten ignored him. He could imagine how much of a nightmare he looked like right now, and he didn’t want to think about it. Instead, he focused on Doyoung’s voice that was coming through the phone again. 

“Can you at least tell me what happened?”

Ten didn’t respond. What was he supposed to say? What could he say? There was no sure way to know who was going to be helping Shownu and who wasn’t. There was no way to know if Shownu had done anything to his phone. He didn’t know what was safe. 

“Ten please.”

Ten waited a few more moments before sighing. He relaxed into the leather seats of the taxi and closed his eyes. He was so exhausted. 

“I can’t right now, ok? Just wait. I’ll be there soon. I’m in a taxi right now.” 

“Fine.” 

Doyoung set his phone down on his desk, making sure it was on speaker mode. He could hear Ten occasionally hiccup or sob or sniffle. Even though he didn’t like the annoying little asshole, he could at least feel bad for him. Ten was never anything but confident and composed in front of him, so if he was letting Doyoung hear him like this, something was definitely wrong. 

He stared at the phone, chewing his bottom lip and playing with a pen. 

“You’re going to make yourself bleed if you keep doing that,” his partner, Kim Jungwoo, teased. 

He was sitting right across from Doyoung working on paperwork. Ten managed to call at a perfect time between any real cases they were working on, which meant that Jungwoo and he were able to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that never seemed to get smaller.

Doyoung released his lip. “I guess I’m just stressed.” It was a nervous habit he had picked up when he was in school and it stuck until now. 

Jungwoo nodded in understanding. He had anxiety and they were both aware that his coping methods were a little...different as well. Doyoung didn’t really understand why someone with such severe anxiety would want to become a detective, but hey, to each his own. 

“It sounds like pretty boy got in trouble. What do you think happened?” Jungwoo rested his chin on his hand, a curious and somewhat mischievous glint in his dark brown eyes.

Everyone in the precinct knew Ten, and they all were annoyed by him. He was pompous, arrogant, and acted like a spoiled prince. Jungwoo especially did not like him and took every chance to insult him. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise that Jungwoo would take the chance to rub Ten’s nose in it that he and Doyoung and were right about the kind of person Hyunwoo was. 

Doyoung sighed as he heard another sniffle. There was no doubt Ten could at least tell they were talking about him. 

“I don’t know what happened. He won’t tell me. I bet something happened with Hyunwoo, though. I don’t think Ten would be this messed up unless it was him or maybe Taeyong and Johnny.” 

Jungwoo nodded as he listened. “Makes sense. I kind of hope it wasn’t Taeyong and Johnny. They’re so nice,” he commented as he played idly with the strands of his newly dyed honey-blond hair.

“Yeah well, I hope it was something to do with Hyunwoo so that we can actually get somewhere in his case. We’ve been at a roadblock for two months now.” 

Jungwoo smiled. “Who knows? Maybe he murdered someone or something like that. That would certainly help us.” 

Doyoung found himself oftentimes concerned by Jungwoo’s seemingly uncaring nature about the cases they worked. He could talk about the weather and a grisly rape and murder in the same sentence without a care in the world. Doyoung sometimes thought that Jungwoo could be a serial killer. 

He was just turning back to his own mountain of paperwork when a particularly worse for wear Ten appeared in the entryway. His expensive black boots were covered in dirt. His jacket and shirt were in disarray. His face was covered in ruined BB cream and eyeliner. His eyes were red and his face was swollen and blotchy. He was fidgeting and was clearly on edge, his eyes and head darting around randomly. 

Jungwoo whistled. “Well isn’t that a sight to see.” 

Doyoung rolled his eyes and got up, calling out to Ten. Ten’s head whipped to Doyoung and he ran up to hug him.

Doyoung froze as Ten threw his arms around him. He could hear Jungwoo snicker behind him and Doyoung flipped him the bird behind his back. 

“Come on,” he urged Ten softly, “let’s take a seat at my desk and we can talk about this.” He unclasped Ten’s hands around him and led him to the chair on the side of his and Jungwoo’s desks. Ten followed quietly. 

Doyoung deposited him in the chair and sat down in his own. “Do you need anything? Maybe some water?” 

Ten nodded dumbly. He seemed dazed. Doyoung glanced to Jungwoo and gestured to the water fountain. Jungwoo made a big deal of it, with mocking expressions and over-the-top dramatics, as he left his desk to go get the water while Doyoung turned back to Ten. 

“So, can you talk about what happened now?” 

He was trying to not sound forceful or demanding, but this was potentially something big and he was excited to get back on this case. He might have also been a little excited to have the opportunity to show Ten that he was actually a capable detective, which Ten had often implied he was not. 

Jungwoo handed the water to Ten and he gulped it down. He took a few moments to take a deep breath and center himself before finally telling Doyoung what had happened. 

“Shownu came back today from a two-week trip and he said he was going to be back later tonight, so I thought I would surprise him. I went to his apartment to go get ready for him, but when I got there…” Ten stared just a little to the left of Doyoung’s head with some sort of odd expression. Jungwoo was leaning in now, pretending to do paperwork while paying rapt attention to Ten. 

Ten shook his head and cleared his throat. “When I got there, Shownu was already there with Changkyun, Hyungwon, their assistants, and his bodyguards. They had some guy tied to a chair and Shownu...Shownu had a gun. I don’t even know when Shownu got a gun or from where like isn’t it pretty difficult to get a gun unless you go through the black market but even then-”

“Ten,” Doyoung interrupted. “You’re rambling.” 

Ten looked to Doyoung with a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry it’s just...It’s a lot to process.” Ten cleared his throat. “Anyways, the guy begged for his life and he...Shownu shot him…like...the guy wasn’t even a threat or anything and he still...”

Ten stared at his hands, playing with the rings he had put on right before heading out the door of his apartment. Doyoung and Jungwoo exchanged looks and Jungwoo smirked. He had been right. There was a murder. 

Ten didn’t really have to fill in the rest. Doyoung could figure it out. Hyunwoo or one of the others saw Ten and he ran for it while they chased him. 

Ten was quiet for a while as Doyoung made some notes. “Ten, I don’t know how to tell you this, but…” Ten looked up again, “you’re in danger.”

He nodded sadly. He probably already knew that. There was something that Ten definitely didn’t know, however. He was going to have to be put in witness protection. Ten was probably the only witness to the crime who would talk, so he was necessary for the murder case. If there was a case made, it would probably only be because of Ten’s testimony. This meant he needed to be protected at all costs. 

He told Ten all of this and it seemed to get his attention. 

“What do you mean I have to go into witness protection?” He demanded hotly. “I come to tell you that you’re right and that a murder happened and you fucking arrest me!” 

He was yelling now, standing up and getting in Doyoung’s face. Doyoung remained pretty calm. He knew how to handle people like Ten, and his little meltdown wasn’t going to deter him.

“Ten, that’s not what I said,” he explained as evenly as he could. “Witness protection is not being arrested. It’s being protected.” 

Ten was still glaring at him, but at least he was sitting down again, even if he was sitting with arms crossed like a petulant child. “What’s the difference?” 

“Well, being arrested is a lot different from being put into witness protection. Being arrested is being processed, having a trial, and either being deported or put in jail. You’d most likely be deported.”

Ten’s expression darkened with each word out of Doyoung’s mouth. “You’d send me back to Thailand? You might as well just kill me. It would be more humane.”

“It’s not exactly a death sentence.” 

“It might as well be.”

Ten’s experience in Thailand was not a good one. He grew up on the streets and had to learn how to survive. He remembered it all too well, how he begged for food and money as a child, but quickly found the career that paid the best. He started servicing people after he turned eleven and soon, he had a recurring clientele. It worked for about two or three years, but he was working on someone else’s streets, and they didn’t like that. They took him in a little after he turned thirteen. As a teenager, he lived as a slave, being kept in a room for days or weeks on end, not being allowed contact with anyone but those who were keeping him there and his...customers. He shuddered at the memories. 

Doyoung knew Ten’s history in both Thailand and Korea. As much as he felt horrible for scaring him, he wanted to avoid as many complications as possible. He placed a hand on top of Ten’s. 

“If possible, I want to put you in witness protection. This would give you a new identity, a place to live, a new job or career, and would keep you safe until a trial. No one would know who you are or where you are except for your acting protective officer.” 

Ten considered it for a while. He didn’t want to leave everything he knew behind. He didn’t want to lose his identity. Most of all, he didn’t want to lie to perspective people he may meet under this protection. 

“What happens if I don’t choose to be put into witness protection?”

“Then I arrest you.” 

Ten released a shuddering breath. He didn’t have an option. He could run out of this building right now, but if he did that and tried to stay in Korea, both the police and Shownu could probably track everything he did. He wouldn’t be able to use his phone, his cards, pull out cash, even stay in the city. But if he went back to Thailand, he would be completely alone, probably living on the streets again like before. He probably wouldn’t be there for more than a month or two before his pimp found him again. He’d be dead within six months. He didn’t have a choice. 

“Ten, we’ll help you through this process, ok? But you have to work with us. You have to help us to help yourself.” 

Ten stared into Doyoung’s eyes and Doyoung tried to look as reassuring and trustful as possible. He could see how terrified and desperate Ten was, and he felt so wretched for doing this to him. The last thing Ten needed was for Doyoung to threaten him, but Doyoung needed Ten to agree with this. He needed Ten to be alive, and if he was right, Ten needed him to stay alive. They never liked each other but for now, they would have to work together.

Finally, after a few long and agonizing moments, Ten nodded. “All right. I’ll do whatever you think is best.” 

Doyoung smiled. “Thank you Ten. It will be difficult, but it will keep you safe.”

That’s all Ten needed.


	3. Cry Me a River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this is coming out a lot later than I wanted. School has started again so my original intent to have a schedule has gone out the window.

Once Ten agreed to be placed in Witness Protection, Doyoung got Ten’s official statement. He interrogated him for what felt like hours to make sure he got every detail of Ten’s movements, from the night before all the way up until he came into the station. Then, he looked at correspondence between Ten and Shownu over the last month or so. He made ten recount every memory from the last month with Shownu and if he was different or off or...It just went on and on. 

It was very early in the morning, Ten wouldn’t even consider it morning, by the time they were done in the interrogation room. He was practically a zombie with how exhausted he felt. He needed to sleep. 

He was reclining in the stiff metal chair, his head lolling, and his neck bent in a painful angle as Doyoung came back in the room. He was so close to falling asleep that the metallic clanking of the door opening made him jump and glare at Doyoung through slitted eyes. 

“Please tell me we’re almost done.” 

“I’ll do you one better, we’re completely done. You’re free to go.” 

Ten sat up and looked at Doyoung. He didn’t look much better than Ten felt. He had heavy bags under his eyes and his left eye was twitching. His annoyingly perfect posture was gone, Doyoung slumping as he sat down in the chair across from Ten. Ten couldn’t help but feel a small victory at this. They were both desperate to screw with each other and piss each other off. Ten was glad he could ruffle the detective’s unruffleable feathers.

He and Doyoung had known each other for more than a year at that point. Doyoung and Jungwoo were investing an embezzling and tax fraud case from Shownu’s company. Shownu always put on such a good front and all of his financials were seemingly so in order that Ten never believed Doyoung was right. The detective bothered him over and over, trying to get him to turn on Shownu or get Shownu to tell him things, but Ten trusted and believed in Shownu, so he never did. Ten was Doyoung’s best and worst roadblock in the case. 

Now that Ten saw Shownu murder someone in cold blood, he didn’t know what was true. Maybe Doyoung and Jungwoo had been right all along. Maybe Ten didn’t actually know anything about Shownu. What did he know?

“Hello, earth to Ten.” 

Ten brought his attention back to Doyoung, who was waving his hand in his face. Ten glared at the offending limb and grabbed it, pushing it back to Doyoung. 

“Could you not do that?” 

“Could you not do that?” Doyoung mocked in a high pitched voice. No one could ever get him to admit it, but Ten always brought out his inner childlike pettiness. “I just need you to sign here and then you can go.” 

He handed Ten a piece of paper. He read it over and saw that it was just declaring everything he said was true and there was nothing omitted on purpose or whatever. He signed it and shoved it back to Doyoung. 

“Thanks,” Doyoung deadpanned and Ten responded with a tight-lipped falsely sweet smile. 

He pushed the chair back and shoved Doyoung aside as he left the room. Doyoung rolled his eyes, he seemed to be doing that a lot tonight, and ran after Ten.

“I know you’re excited to get as far away from me as possible, but please, enlighten me as to where you are about to go right now.” 

He stood in front of the doorway to the interrogation room, with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as Ten froze. Where was he going to go? 

He turned back around and almost perfectly mirrored Doyoung. “I don’t know,” he responded slowly, “but I have a feeling you do.” 

“Yes I do, come on.” 

He grabbed his things off his desk, bid Jungwoo goodnight, and left the precinct with Ten following behind him. 

The car ride was quiet besides the radio that Doyoung was pretty sure was playing Heize or Ailee or maybe Yoon Mirae. He couldn’t be sure and he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

He occasionally glanced to Ten, but he never moved from where he was staring out the window. He could have been asleep if it weren’t for the fact that Doyoung could see Ten’s eyes in the reflection of the window. 

“Listen,” Doyoung said after a while. They were almost to the hotel Ten would be staying in for the next few nights. “I’m going to put in a request for you for witness protection tomorrow morning. We should get some response within the next few days. I need you to stay at the hotel I’m taking you to for now, ok?”

“Do I have a choice?” Ten asked softly. He seemed so resigned to his fate. 

Doyoung didn’t respond as he pulled into the parking structure for the hotel. It wasn’t the nicest hotel in Seoul, and he knew that Ten would probably hate it even if it wasn’t the worst hotel in Seoul either. He put the car in park and made to get out of the car, but Ten gripped Doyoung’s jacket. 

“Do I have to stay here?” 

And there it was. Doyoung held himself back from sighing as he turned, ready to lecture Ten like the child he is, but he paused as he took Ten in. He was so quiet, so different from any other time Doyoung had seen him. He held his arms tightly to his torso, almost like he was hugging himself, as though he needed to defend himself from Doyoung. He was scared. He was terrified and it hit Doyoung like a freight train.

He didn’t like Ten, but seeing him then, he could understand what Ten was going through. Of course Ten was Ten, but Doyoung forgot what he became that night. A victim. And looking at him like a victim humanized him, almost. Doyoung has dealt with victims and witnesses having to be protected before. He always told them as much as he could, but the reality was that they all went in pretty blindly and maybe this was what was bothering Ten. 

“Where would you rather go?” 

“Could I...could I stay with you?” 

Ten looked hopeful but scared of Doyoung’s response, like a child begging for something from a parent they didn’t expect to get. 

“Why would you want to stay with me?” 

“You know what, forget I asked. Nevermind.” Ten shook his head and climbed out of the car. “I knew it was stupid.”

“No, that’s not it.” Doyoung climbed out after him. “I’m just surprised, is all. I wasn’t expecting it.” 

Ten looked at him with that same hopeful, yet hesitant expression. “So…” 

Doyoung looked between the elevator across the lot and Ten. Objectively, this was a horrible idea. Hyunwoo would either expect Ten to go to him or expect Ten to never trust him. If it was the former, it was possible Hyunwoo would attack them and there was no promise that Doyoung could protect him. This side also told him he was getting dangerously invested in the case, and the witness. He wouldn’t be able to remain objective if he got closer to Ten. 

That was the objective side of Doyoung. The subjective side told him that he didn’t want to just leave Ten here. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure Ten would be safe here. He couldn’t believe the protective unit would be as effective as him. There was a small part of him that thought for some reason Ten would be safer with him. 

Doyoung groaned. He could lose his job or worse, end up on desk duty for a month for this, but he knew if Ten stayed at the hotel, he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night, or in the next few ones. 

He took another look at Ten and his positively pathetic face, his slumped shoulders, and his surprisingly pleading eyes that were pretending not to look at him, and felt his resolve plummet.

“All right. Let’s go.” 

Ten smiled. It was the first genuine smile Doyoung had ever seen grace Ten’s lips as they both climbed into the car. Doyoung put the car in reverse and sped off, leaving the hotel and his objectivity behind them. 

The ride to his apartment was a lot more relaxed than he expected. Apparently, Ten’s awkward silence from before was only there because he had been working up the nerve to ask Doyoung for this favor. 

Ten was a lot calmer now, relaxing in the seat and flipping through the radio channels until he settled on a channel that played some sort of chill music. 

“You’re sure making yourself at home.” 

“You’re telling me you wanted to listen to that sad shit from before?” 

Maybe Doyoung made a mistake by letting Ten stay with him. 

“Look, is there any particular reason why you wanted to stay with me?”

Ten shrugged and went back to looking out the window. “I…”

Doyoung turned the radio down. Ten faced forward again but didn’t look at him, which was fine. 

He sighed again and then made a frustrated noise. “I don’t know. I guess I just feel more comfortable with you right now.” 

Doyoung knew from his line of work that many victims felt comfortable with the detective or officer that helps them and stays with them through the case. Ten has known Doyoung for more than a year, and Ten knows that Doyoung understands him and where he comes from, so of course he would feel more comfortable with staying with Doyoung. In this situation where he has no control and no knowledge, he wants to stick to the one thing he does know, whether he likes that thing (or person) or not. 

“You don’t mind, do you?”

And the truth was that for some reason, Doyoung didn’t mind. “No, I don’t mind. You can stay with me until we get you all situated.” 

“Thank you so much. Really, I owe you one.” 

There was that smile again. It was an endearing one that made Ten look so much younger and more innocent than he was. It was so different from who Doyoung knew Ten to be. 

They turned in to Doyoung’s apartment complex. It was nowhere near as fancy or impressive as Ten and Hyunwoo’s high rises, but it was enough for him. He pulled into his assigned spot and both he and Ten got out. He led Ten to his apartment up two flights of stairs and unlocked the door. 

“Um...it’s not much, but it’s enough for me.” 

Ten walked in as Doyoung hung his keys up on the rack he has next to the door and took off his shoes. Ten looked around. There was a small kitchen to the left and the entryway led directly to the living area. The furniture was older because he bought it used, even though there wasn’t much there. Doyoung didn’t bother decorating too much because he wasn’t at home that much. The house was simple, clean, and organized to be functional. 

“It’s not that bad, I guess. Maybe it could use some more color...and, ya’know, decorating in general.” 

Doyoung shrugged. “Anyways, I guess you can have the couch. The bathroom’s down the hall.” He gestured down the hall to the right. “My room is also that way. Anything in the kitchen is up for grabs. Same goes for the bathroom. And...you also probably need some clothes.”

He left Ten standing in the entrance as he grabbed a t-shirt and shorts, a towel, and a blanket. He put the blanket on the couch and handed everything else to Ten. 

“I have to get some sleep tonight, so you get to fend for yourself. Good night.” 

With that, Doyoung went to his room.

“Good night,” Ten responded quietly. 

He carried the clothes and towel into the bathroom and set them down on the toilet. He looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. He looked absolutely awful. He hated when he cried. He hated how ugly it made him look. 

Still, Ten looked past his initial disgust to really examine himself. He felt like a fool, with all of his jewelry and his fancy clothes and makeup meant to impress someone who would be willing to kill him at the drop of a hat, apparently. 

He made sure the sink was plugged before removing everything. He started with his earrings he painstakingly put in one by one, removing each one, one at a time until they were all off. He then moved to his collar, which he unclasped and dropped into the sink. He pulled off each ring and set them down next to the other accessories. He then took off his jacket and laid it across the sink. 

He looked around the cabinets until he found wipes and a face wash. We wiped off whatever he could of the remainder of his makeup. He was lucky, Ten thought, that he used his cheap mascara and eyeliner tonight instead of his water proof makeup. He then wiped off the rest of the BB cream that wasn’t sweat off or cried off. 

He couldn’t hold back the sniffles and the tears that welled in his eyes. He just felt so stupid. This is exactly why he never let himself get used to people and care for them. It all just hurt him in the end. 

He gripped the edge of the sink and bowed his head, tears falling down onto the real leather coat. Less than twenty four hours ago, he would have never let that happen, but now, the condition of some stupid expensive jacket just seemed so arbitrary. 

He cried. He sunk to his knees and pulled them to his chest as he cried on the bathroom floor. How had everything gone so wrong? How could this happen? Shownu was supposed to be the one for him, who loved him and cared for him. He cried as he felt Shownu’s haunting touches on his face, through his hair, on his arms, his legs, around his waist. He cried as he saw Shownu’s smile, heard his laugh, heard his deep, soothing voice tell Ten how much he loved him. He saw his Shownu. But, how much of that was actually Shownu? He cried harder. 

He gave himself this time to cry and feel sorry for himself before he sat up against the wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep, centering breath. He needed to clean up. He needed to clean up and make sure to not leave a mess. Doyoung was being so nice to him, he shouldn’t take that for granted. 

Ten stood up and got back to work. He threw the wipes away and grabbed another one to wipe over his face again, just to make sure all of the surface makeup was gone and to wipe away his tears and snot. 

He couldn’t stop the tears even as he took off his clothes and removed the body jewelry, depositing it in the sink as well. He pulled the clothes on that Doyoung gave him. Then, he removed the jacket from the sink and put all of his jewelry in it. He unplugged the sink and washed his face with hot water and whatever face wash Doyoung had. 

When he was done, he patted his face dry, grabbed his things, and went back to the living room where he curled into the blanket Doyoung gave him. He closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep, hoping that he could just forget everything for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! The story is going to start moving a little faster after this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and feedback are always appreciated.


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